Fancy Snacks By Libby Hopkins
When you hear flavors like, “Coconut Cream Pie” or “Caramel Expresso,” what comes to your mind? Cookies? Pies? How about popcorn? No? When you hear flavors like, “Coconut Cream Pie” or “Caramel Expresso,” what comes to your mind? Cookies? Pies? How about popcorn? No? Well, think again because these are just some of the more than 100 flavors of popcorn that Ipop Gourmet Popcorn in Tampa has to offer. “Creativity in flavors comes from my experience in the cake and pastry world,” said Laurie Cinelli, owner of Ipop. “I always search for new recipes and flavors to try. I have even included some of my cake business in the popcorn and have made wonderful delicious popcorn, like carrot cake, red velvet and birthday cake.” Cinelli is a proud mother of three, the owner and operator of A Piece of Cake & Desserts in Tampa, in addition to owning Ipop Gourmet Popcorn. “Passion for creativity and the love of making food for family and friends, is how I got into this business,” Cinelli said. Creativity is the main ingredient in her popcorn. Some of her more unique flavors include “Cheddar Pretzel Ale,” “Creamy Dill,” and “Buffalo Bleu Cheese,” to name a few. “We make our flavors from scratch, other companies use a pre-mix and add more sugar,” Cinelli said. “Ours are a family recipe. We also use a natural flavoring and can customize colors. We use local food vendors for some of our supplies and come up with creative flavors from local spice, oil, and coffee companies.”
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Popcorn quite possibly has been a snack food since the time of cavemen. According to the website, Fact Monster (www. factmonster.com), “Archaeologists have found 80,000-yearold corn pollen below Mexico City. Because this pollen is
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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
February 2017
almost the same as modern popcorn pollen, researchers believe that “cave people” most likely had popcorn. Popcorn probably grew first in Mexico, though it was also used in China and India hundreds of years before Columbus reached the Americas. The oldest popcorn ever found was discovered in the “Bat Cave” of central New Mexico. It is thought to be about 5,600 years old. In tombs in Peru, archaeologists found ancient kernels of popcorn that are so well preserved, they can still pop. Popcorn was very popular in the United States from the late 19th century through the middle of the 20th century. It was available in parks, from street vendors, and near theaters. During World War II, when sugar was rationed, Americans changed their snacking habits—they ate three times as much popcorn as they had before. Perhaps the favorite place to eat popcorn was at the movies. When television took off in the 1950s, popcorn sales dropped for a while. Today, the average American eats nearly 70 quarts of popcorn a year. But the United States isn’t just a land of popcorn lovers, it’s also the land of popcorn. Most of the world now gets its popcorn from Nebraska and Indiana.” Popcorn always has a lot of nutritional value, as well. Popcorn is an abundant source of fiber. It has B vitamins and minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iron, zinc and phosphorous. Polyphenols are concentrated in hulls because popcorn doesn’t have a lot of water and because it’s 100 percent whole grain. Another plus about popcorn is that it’s minimally processed. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM